05/12/2014
Stiefvater expands on her bestselling Wolves of Mercy Falls novels with a side story built around Cole St. Clair, werewolf front man of the defunct band Narkotika. Now sober, Cole attempts to resurrect his career and his dysfunctional love affair with Isabel Culpeper, who’s working retail in Los Angeles. From a vacuous live phone interview in the opening pages to the semi-trashy web series Cole winds up starring in, the glitzy, manic tropes of TMZ culture dominate. For the most part, attachment to these characters (and knowledge of their history) must be carried over from the original trilogy. But Stiefvater’s talent for wordcraft and her powers of observation are as sharp as ever, and the L.A. setting gives her even more cause than usual to treat cars like characters. It’s less a romance than a conjuration of the monolith that is mass-market entertainment, the trappings of fame, and the narrow spaces they leave for being human. Or wolf, sometimes. Ages 14–up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (July)
Teen romance is one of the hottest categories on the shelves—and has been, arguably, since the days of “Romeo and Juliet.” We’ve picked a few of our favorites here—from realistic standalone thrillers to elaborately woven paranormal series—that all convey that special spark and crushing yearning of young love.
With a colorful cast of characters, a conceit that strains—but never breaks—your sense of willing disbelief (wealthy CEO falls into relationship with his house cleaner and her wacky brood? I’ll allow it), and a tried-and-true road trip format, One Plus One, by Jojo Moyes, could be labeled a straight-up romantic comedy, but that doesn’t mean […]
This month’s most exciting young adult titles have it all—ghosts, superpowers, epidemics, and love in all its forms (star-crossed, triangular, requited, un…). Here are 5 great books hitting YA shelves now: Sinner, by Maggie Stiefvater A new Stiefvater book is always cause for celebration. Sinner finds two hardheaded characters from her mega-hit Shiver series reuniting […]
If you’ve never opened a Maggie Stiefvater novel, and have only read the synopses of her books, you might think they would solely appeal to fans of werewolves (Shiver), fairies (Lament), Welsh mythology (The Raven Boys) and, um, rabid water horses (The Scorpio Races). But the truth is, she writes some of the most realistic […]